Money the government gives to people who are too lazy to work or are simply unable to work to to disability. Commonly abused. Many people who are on welfare are the lazy people, who financially harm those who can work, and those who are disabled and cannot work.

Welfare is currently being abused by many, which harms most people in our country.

Social safety net that is extremely necessary in today's economy of 10% unemployment and 20% underemployment. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of welfare payments are not cash, but rather credits for necessary items like food. Long demonized by politicians as a means of diverting attention from the larger problems of government (such as corruption and lobbying) to something more tangible and easy for the public at large to blame (ie. those lazy goddamn poor people). Many welfare programs, such as food stamps, now have requirements for enrollment.

Oh no, I won't get my welfare if my boss cuts my hours below twenty per week! That is the work requirement for food stamps, dontcha know?!

A program designed to provide financial help for those who struggle to make ends meet. This program has acquired the reputation for serving low-lifes, white trash, and drug addicts who are to lazy and stupid to get a job. How it got this wonderful reputation is beyond me (although it might have something to do with Republicans) as over 70% of welfare receivers bring home AT LEAST one paycheck.

Most of the definitions (for welfare) on Urban Dictionary say that welfare is for fat, lazy, white trash who have many kids to get more welfare money so they can by booze and drugs. the people who wrote those definitions are dumbshits.

The current program is TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which does not provide ample benefits to put people above the poverty line (i.e., for a single person= $11,000; for a familiy of 3= $38,000). The poverty line is calculated using a terrible equation, essentially, by mutiplying a minimal subsistence diet (something you would get sick on if you lived on it for 5 years) by 3. Data has found that you actually need to multiply this number by at least 5, and probably need to adjust for a more nutritional diet, that doesn't make you ill.
Also, poor people do pay taxes, at least 7% of their income goes to taxes. Everyone pays taxes.

Welfare is federal aid to those that qualify, but less than half the families who qualify are given aid, even though our poverty stricken populations are increasing.

Benefits include cash (average $350/month per family), food stamps, and Medicare/Medical. Even with ALL of these benefits, TANF does not help people out of poverty. While child poverty rates have risen (23% in America, 10% higher than 30 years ago), federal assistance has gone down (even though the benefits are MEAGER at best).

People who are below the poverty line are not riding free; they do not want to be there, and most people are on TANF for VERY short time periods. People end up there because of life events: divorce, job loss/unemployment, illness, etc.

The federal government gives more money to the rich than the poor ($7-13 billion/year); it would take 50 years to equal that money in welfare.

1.) Something nobody who has written a definition here has ever really encountered,

2.) A symbol of poverty which all those suposidly 'middle class' Americans believe they're immune from if they just 'work hard' because its up to the 'individual' to make it.

3.) A potentially helpful, but underfunded policy which is so riddled with contradictions and loopholes that to acctually benefit from it is a monumental feat.

AnyAmerican: "I lost my job of 20 years because of a small health problem and the price of privatised healthcare. I'm on welfare, but if i find any job working over 10 hours a week, no matter the pay, then i'll lose that 200$ a month check i've been paying taxes my whole life to support, but i still need to eat and pay bills."

AmericanEthic: "Tough it out! America is full of opportunities! And no assistance in reaching them because all the tax money goes to the pockets of the already rich!"